Combining seismic data from sensors to attenuate noise

ABSTRACT

To perform noise attenuation for seismic surveying, a sensor assembly is deployed on a ground surface, where the sensor assembly has a seismic sensor to measure seismic waves propagated through a subterranean structure, and a divergence sensor comprising a pressure sensor to measure noise. First data is received from the seismic sensor, and second data is received from the divergence sensor. The first data and the second data are combined to attenuate noise in the first data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/573,266 filed Oct. 5, 2009, which is incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Seismic surveying is used for identifying subterranean elements, such ashydrocarbon reservoirs, freshwater aquifers, gas injection zones and soforth. In seismic surveying, seismic sources are placed at variouslocations on a land surface or sea floor, with the seismic sourcesactivated to generate seismic waves directed into a subterraneanstructure.

The seismic waves generated by a seismic source travel into thesubterranean structure, with a portion of the seismic waves reflectedback to the surface for receipt by seismic receivers (e.g., geophones,accelerometers, etc.). These seismic receivers produce signals thatrepresent detected seismic waves. Signals from the seismic receivers areprocessed to yield information about the content and characteristic ofthe subterranean structure.

A typical land-based seismic survey arrangement includes deploying anarray of seismic receivers on the ground with the seismic receiversprovided in an approximate grid formation. The seismic receivers can bemulti-component geophones that enable the measurement of an incomingwavefield in three orthogonal directions (vertical z, horizontal inlinex, and horizontal crossline y).

For land-based seismic surveying, various types of unwanted wavefieldsmay be present, including ground-roll noise, such as Rayleigh or Lovesurface waves. The unwanted wavefields can contaminate seismic dataacquired by seismic receivers. Although various conventional techniquesexist to remove unwanted wavefields from seismic data, such techniquesare relatively complex and may be costly.

SUMMARY

In general, according to an embodiment, a method of noise attenuationfor seismic surveying includes deploying a sensor assembly on a landsurface, where the sensor assembly has a seismic sensor to measureseismic waves propagated through a subterranean structure, and adivergence sensor comprising a pressure sensor to measure noise. Firstdata received from the seismic sensor and second data received from thedivergence sensor are combined to attenuate noise in the first data.

Other or alternative features will become apparent from the followingdescription, from the drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example arrangement of sensorassemblies that can be deployed to perform a land-based seismic survey,according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a sensor assembly according to an embodiment that canbe employed in the arrangement of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A-3B are graphs illustrating propagation of wavefields that aredetectable by a sensor assembly according to an embodiment;

FIGS. 4A-4C are graphs illustrating data in the time-offset domain asacquired by sensor assemblies according to some embodiments; and

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a process of performing seismic surveying,according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous details are set forth to providean understanding of the present invention. However, it will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may bepracticed without these details and that numerous variations ormodifications from the described embodiments are possible.

In accordance with some embodiments, to attenuate noise in seismic datain a land-based survey arrangement, sensor assemblies each having atleast one seismic sensor and at least one divergence sensor (formeasuring noise) are employed. In some embodiments, the divergencesensor is formed using a container filled with a material in which apressure sensor (e.g., a hydrophone) is provided. The pressure sensor insuch an arrangement is able to record mainly noise, such that the datafrom the pressure sensor in the sensor assemblies can be used to developa noise reference model for cleansing seismic data acquired by theseismic sensors. The material in which the pressure sensor is immersedcan be a liquid, a gel, or a solid such as sand or plastic.

One type of noise is ground-roll noise. Ground-roll noise refers toseismic waves produced by seismic sources that travel generallyhorizontally along a ground surface towards seismic receivers. Thesehorizontally traveling seismic waves, such as Rayleigh waves or Lovewaves, are undesirable components that can contaminate seismic data.Generally, “noise” refers to any signal component that is unwanted fromseismic data (such as data representing reflected signals fromsubterranean elements). Other types of noise include flexural wavespresent in data acquired over frozen surfaces such as a body of water orpermafrost; and airborne noise caused by the environment such as due towind, rain, or human activity such as traffic, air blasts, flare noiseor other industrial processes.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an arrangement of sensor assemblies 100that are used for land-based seismic surveying. The sensor assemblies100 are deployed on a ground surface 108 (in a row or in an array). Asensor assembly 100 being “on” a ground surface means that the sensorassembly 100 is either provided on and over the ground surface, orburied (fully or partially) underneath the ground surface such that thesensor assembly 100 is with 10 meters of the ground surface. The groundsurface 108 is above a subterranean structure 102 that contains at leastone subterranean element 106 of interest (e.g., hydrocarbon reservoir,freshwater aquifer, gas injection zone, etc.). One or more seismicsources 104, which can be vibrators, air guns, explosive devices, and soforth, are deployed in a survey field in which the sensor assemblies 100are located.

Activation of the seismic sources 104 causes seismic waves to bepropagated into the subterranean structure 102. Alternatively, insteadof using controlled seismic sources as noted above to provide controlledsource or active surveys, some embodiments can also be used in thecontext of passive surveys. Passive surveys use the sensor assemblies100 to perform one or more of the following: (micro)earthquakemonitoring; hydro-frac monitoring where microearthquakes are observeddue to rock failure caused by fluids that are actively injected into thesubsurface, such as a hydrocarbon reservoir; and so forth. Seismic wavesreflected from the subterranean structure 102 (and from the subterraneanelement 106 of interest) are propagated upwardly towards the sensorassemblies 100. Seismic sensors 112 (e.g., geophones, accelerometers,etc.) in the corresponding sensor assemblies 100 measure the seismicwaves reflected from the subterranean structure 102. Moreover, thesensor assemblies 100 further include divergence sensors 114 that aredesigned to measure noise, such as ground-roll noise or other types ofnoise. The data from the divergence sensors 114 can be employed todevelop a noise reference model to attenuate noise in the measuredseismic signals.

In one embodiment, the sensor assemblies 100 are interconnected by anelectrical cable 110 to a controller 116. Alternatively, instead ofconnecting the sensor assemblies 100 by the electrical cable 110, thesensor assemblies 100 can communicate wirelessly with the controller116. In some implementations, intermediate routers or concentrators maybe provided at intermediate points of the network of sensor assemblies100 to enable communication between the sensor assemblies 100 and thecontroller 116.

The controller 116 shown in FIG. 1 further includes processing software120 that is executable on a processor 122. The processor 122 isconnected to storage media 124 (e.g., one or more disk-based storagedevices and/or one or more memory devices). In the example of FIG. 1,the storage media 124 is used to store seismic sensor data 126communicated from the seismic sensors 112 of the sensor assemblies 100to the controller 116, and to store divergence data 128 communicatedfrom the divergence sensors 114 of the sensor assemblies 100.

In operation, the software 120 is used to process the seismic sensordata 126 and the hydrophone data 128. The hydrophone data 128 iscombined with the seismic sensor data 126, using techniques discussedfurther below, to attenuate noise in the seismic sensor data 126 (toproduce a cleansed version of the seismic sensor data). The software 120can then produce an output to characterize the subterranean structure102 based on the cleansed seismic sensor data 126.

A sensor assembly 100 according to some embodiments is depicted ingreater detail in FIG. 2. The seismic sensor 112 in the sensor assemblycan be a geophone for measuring particle velocity induced by seismicwaves in the subterranean structure 102, or alternatively, the seismicsensor 112 can be an accelerometer for measuring acceleration induced byseismic waves propagated through the subterranean structure 102.

In some embodiments, the seismic sensor 112 is a vertical componentseismic sensor for measuring seismic waves in the vertical direction(represented by axis z in FIG. 1). In alternative embodiments, thesensor assembly 100 can additionally or alternatively include seismicsensors for detecting seismic waves in generally horizontal directions,such as the x or y directions that are generally parallel to the groundsurface 108.

The divergence sensor 114 that is also part of the sensor assembly 100(within a housing 101 of the sensor assembly 100) is used for measuringan input (e.g., noise) different from the seismic waves propagatedthrough the subterranean structure 102 that are measured by the seismicsensor 112. In an alternative embodiment, the divergence sensor 114 ofthe sensor assembly 100 can be physically spaced apart from the seismicsensor 112 by some predetermined distance.

The divergence sensor 114 has a closed container 200 that is sealed. Thecontainer 200 contains a volume of liquid 202 (or other material such asa gel or a solid such as sand or plastic) inside the container 200.Moreover, the container 200 contains a hydrophone 204 (or other type ofpressure sensor) that is immersed in the liquid 202 (or other material).The pressure sensor being immersed in the material means that thepressure sensor is surrounded by or otherwise attached to or in contactwith the material. In the ensuing discussion, reference is made to thehydrophone 204 that is immersed in the liquid 202—note that inalternative embodiments, other types of pressure sensors can be immersedin other types of material. The hydrophone 204, which is neutrallybuoyantly immersed in the liquid 202, is mechanically decoupled from thewalls of the container 200. As a result, the hydrophone 204 is sensitiveto just acoustic waves that are induced into the liquid 202 through thewalls of the container 200. To maintain a fixed position, the hydrophone204 is attached by a coupling mechanism 206 that dampens propagation ofacoustic waves through the coupling mechanism 206.

Examples of the liquid 202 include the following: kerosene, mineral oil,vegetable oil, silicone oil and water. In other embodiments, other typesof liquids can be employed. A liquid with a higher viscosity can be usedto change the sensitivity to different types of waves, including P(compression) waves, S (shear) waves, Rayleigh waves and Love waves.Moreover, the amount of liquid 202 provided in the container 200 of thedivergence sensor 114 determines the sensitivity of the hydrophone 204.A container 200 that is only partially filled with liquid records aweaker signal. In some embodiments, the container 200 can be partiallyfilled with liquid to provide an expansion volume within the container200. Expansion of the liquid 202, such as due to a temperature rise ofthe liquid 202, can be accommodated in the expansion volume (which canbe filled with a gas).

As further shown in FIG. 2, the sensor assembly 100 also includeselectronic circuitry 208 that is electrically coupled to both theseismic sensor 112 and the divergence sensor 114. The electroniccircuitry 208 can include storage elements, processing elements, andcommunications elements for communicating data acquired by the seismicsensor 112 and divergence sensor 114 over the electrical cable 110 tothe controller 116 (FIG. 1).

As depicted in FIG. 2, the seismic sensor 112 is positioned above andexternal to the container 200 of the divergence sensor 114.Alternatively, the seismic sensor 112 can have some other arrangementwith respect to the divergence sensor 114. At least a portion of thedivergence sensor 114 is below the ground surface 108, such that thehydrophone 204 is at or below the ground surface 108, but not above theground surface 108. When planted, the divergence sensor 114 of thesensor assembly 100 is firmly in contact with the earth mediumunderneath the ground surface 108, which improves data quality ofsignals acquired by the hydrophone 204 in the divergence sensor 114.

In embodiments that employ the cable 110, power is provided from aremote power supply (such as a power supply located at the controller116) through the cable 110 to the sensor assemblies 100. In embodimentsthat employ wireless communications and that do not use the cable 110,the sensor assembly 100 can be provided with batteries to provide localpower.

In land-based seismic surveying, particle displacement (or velocity oracceleration) is measured by seismic sensors just below the free surface(ground surface 108). As a result, the observed signal componentscontain not only the impinging-upcoming seismic waves but also theadditional contribution of downwardly reflected/converted waves at thesolid-air interface (ground surface 108). FIG. 3A shows an example of anincoming compression or P wave, and FIG. 3B shows an example for anincoming shear or S wave. The P and S waves are incoming from thesubterranean structure 102 (FIG. 1). A P wave extends in the directionof propagation of the seismic wave, whereas an S wave extends in adirection generally perpendicular to the direction of propagation of theseismic wave.

In each of FIGS. 3A and 3B, the z direction represents the verticaldirection, while the x direction represents the inline horizontaldirection. The air-solid interface corresponds to the ground surface 108shown in FIG. 1. An upcoming P wave is represented as P_(up) (FIG. 3A),while an upcoming S wave is represented as S_(up) (FIG. 3B). A seismicsensor 112 records not only the upcoming P or S waves, but also theadditional contribution of the downwardly reflected/converted waves atthe solid-air interface, including the R_(PP) and R_(PS) waves (FIG.3A), which are reflected in response to the P_(up) wave. Similarly, thereflected/converted waves that are reflected from the S_(up) wave isrepresented as R_(SP) and R_(SS) in FIG. 3B.

The R_(PP) wave is a P wave reflected from the P_(up) wave, while theR_(PS) wave is a reflected S wave from the Pup wave. Similarly, R_(SP)is the reflected P wave from the S_(up) wave, and R_(SS) is a reflectedS wave from the S_(up) wave.

In contrast to the seismic sensor 112, the hydrophone 204 inside thecontainer 200 filled with liquid 202 in the sensor 114 shown in FIG. 2is insensitive to the direction and angle of propagation of waves. As aresult, this leads to a destructive summation of events at a nearvertical incidence angle (small slowness), and thus, the measurement ofthe hydrophone 204 (represented as U_(H)) records mainly surface noise(which has large slowness). Slowness is proportional to the inverse ofapparent velocity—small slowness results from high apparent velocity,while large slowness results from small apparent velocity. Thus, U_(H)(which is the data from the hydrophone 204 in the divergence sensor 114of FIG. 2) provides a better representation of noise than U_(x) (the xcomponent of seismic data measured by a seismic sensor.) As a result,U_(H) can be used for noise removal on U_(z), based on adaptivesubtraction and/or polarization. U_(z) refers to the measured seismicwave in the z direction. In the ensuing discussion, U_(x), U_(z), andU_(H) are assumed to measure particle displacement or velocity oracceleration or pressure just below the free surface.

U_(z) and U_(x) are represented according to Eqs. 1 and 2 below:

U _(z)−(−q _(α) α+R _(PP) q _(α) α−R _(PS) pβ)P _(up)+(pβ−R _(SS) pβ+R_(SP) q _(α)α)S _(up)  ,(Eq. 1)

U _(x)=(pα+R _(PP) pα+R _(PS) q _(β)β)P _(up)+(q _(β) β+R _(SS) q _(β)β+R _(SP) pα)S _(up)  ,(Eq. 2)

where P_(up) and S_(up) are the incident P and S waves (respectively, asshown in FIGS. 3A-3B), α and β are the near-surface P- and S-wavevelocities, and p=sini/α=sinj/β is horizontal slowness. The verticalslownesses for P- and S-waves are q_(a)=(α⁻²−p²)^(0.5) andq_(β)=(β²−p²)^(0.5), respectively. The R_(ij) terms are thereflection/conversion coefficients for an incident i wave backwardreflected/converted into a j wave at the solid-air interface just abovethe sensors. The left hand side of each of Eqs. 1 and 2 relates thefree-surface effect considering an incident P wave as illustrated inFIG. 3A, while the right hand side of each of Eqs. 1 and 2 relates thefree-surface effect considering an incident S wave as illustrated inFIG. 3B. Note that seismic sensor (geophone or accelerometer) signalcomponents are vectorial measurements—for example, if the incoming Pwave case is considered on the z component, the + and − in the left handside of each of Eqs. 1 and 2 relates the direction of propagation, i.e.upgoing (−) or downgoing (+), while the terms q_(α)α (=cosi) or pβ(=sinj) relate to the propagation angles, where i and j are propagationangles (with respect to the vertical) of P and S waves, respectively.

In contrast to the seismic sensors 112 (FIG. 2) that record both P and Swaves in a vectorial manner, a hydrophone (204 in FIG. 2) in a liquidcell will only record the pressure fluctuation due to the P wavefieldsince S wave propagation is not supported by liquid. In addition, such asensor (divergence sensor 114) is assumed to be insensitive to thedirection of propagation, since pressure is a scalar quantity.Therefore, compared to the seismic sensor data represented by Eqs. 1 and2, the angle-direction related terms vanish for the case of a fullisotropic hydrophone sensor, and the hydrophone data U_(H) can bewritten as:

U _(H) =C ₁(P _(UP) +R _(PP) P _(up) +R _(SP) S _(up)),  (Eq. 3)

where C₁ is a constant that includes (1) a calibration factor tocompensate for the difference in sensitivity between the hydrophone 204(that measures pressure) and the seismic sensors 112 (that measuredisplacement or velocity or acceleration), and (2) a transmission factorfrom the ground into the container of the divergence sensor 114. Thehydrophone 204 does not directly record S waves, but note that Swavefield related energy will be present in the hydrophone data due tothe S-to-P conversion at the free surface (last term of Eq. 3). Finally,by including into Eq. 3 the P_(up) and S_(up) expressions as a functionof U_(z) and U_(x) as well as the expressions for the reflectioncoefficients, the following is obtained:

U_(H)=C₂pU_(x)  ,(Eq. 4)

where C₂ depends on C₁ and on the near-surface properties in thevicinity of the receiver.

In the slowness domain, U_(H) is just a p-dependent (p representsslowness) scaled version of U_(x). This means that, at small slowness(small p), or equivalently at small incident angles, wave amplitudes onthe U_(H) component are extremely small, even compared to U_(x). This istrue for S waves as well as for P waves. This natural P wave attenuationon U_(H) is due to the destructive summation between the upgoing anddowngoing reflected events, R_(PP) being equal to −1 at verticalincidence (p=0). In summary, the hydrophone 204 acts as a naturalvelocity filter, by attenuating small slownesses (high apparent velocitylike reflections) much more than larger slownesses (slow apparent waves,typically ground-roll noise).

By rewriting Eq. 4 (in the slowness domain) into the conventionaltime-offset domain (with p=δx/δt), the following is obtained:

$\begin{matrix}{{\frac{\delta \; {U_{H}( {t,x} )}}{\delta \; t} = C_{2}}{\frac{\delta \; {U_{x}( {t,x} )}}{\delta \; x}.}} & ( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 5} )\end{matrix}$

The above inline (2D) case can be extended to the 3-dimensional case as:

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{\delta \; U_{H}}{\delta \; t} \propto {( {\frac{\delta \; U_{x}}{\delta \; x} + \frac{\delta \; U_{y}}{\delta \; y}} ).}} & ( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 6} )\end{matrix}$

The time derivative of the hydrophone signal component U_(H),represented by Eq. 6, is proportional to the divergence of the wavefield(just below the free-surface).

FIGS. 4A-4C show simulated data in the time-offset domain, in whichoffset refers to the distance between each sensor assembly 100 and aseismic source. FIG. 4A shows the time-offset simulated data for U_(z),FIG. 4B shows the time-offset simulated data for U_(x), and FIG. 4Cshows the time-offset simulated data for U_(H). A generally cone-shapedpattern 402 in each of the FIGS. 4B-4C represents noise. Note that thenoise appears in each of U_(z), U_(x), and U_(H). However, the actualseismic data (represented by the curved structures in FIGS. 4A-4C) isattenuated in U_(H) especially at small offsets. Therefore, it isapparent that the hydrophone 204, which outputs U_(H), provides naturalvelocity filtering.

Body waves, and especially reflected P waves at small offset have evensmaller amplitude on U_(H) than on U_(x), in contrast to the ground-rollcone 402. Therefore U_(H) provides a better noise reference model thanU_(x) for ground-roll attenuation on U_(z). In addition, U_(H) is abetter noise model than U_(x) (or more generally an orthogonal ornear-orthogonal component to the recorded seismic data by the seismicsensor) because U_(H) records also offline scattered events (present onU_(z) and U_(y), in contrast to U_(x)).

Global ground-roll noise correlation between U_(H) and U_(z) should bebetter than that between U_(x) and U_(z) because S waves and Love wavesare weaker on U_(H) than on U_(x). As a result, U_(H) can be used toprovide better noise attenuation on U_(z) based on adaptive subtractionor polarization filtering. Secondly signal preservation should beimproved by taking the U_(H) instead of U_(x), because U_(H) containsless body wave energy (especially at small slowness-offset whereground-roll noise is dominant).

Weighted HZ summation (summation of the U_(H) and U_(z) signalcomponents) enables the removal of noise from U_(z). Basic adaptivesubtraction can be written as:

U _(z) ^(clean)(t,x)=U _(z)(t,x)−F(t,x)U _(H)(t,x),  (Eq. 7)

where F can be a scalar or a frequency dependent operator estimated forexample by matching U_(H) with U_(z) in varying time-offset windows (andfor example in the least square sense). In Eq. 7 above, U_(z) ^(clean)represents the seismic data with the noise component removed.

F(t,x) is an operator, which can be a wavelet of several point length inthe general case, or simply a number (scalar) in the special case wherefilter length=1. In this latter case, the number F is simply obtained bydividing U_(z) by U_(H) in a selected time-offset window:F(x,t)=Z(x,t)/H(x,t). F is frequency independent, since it is just thescaling factor between U_(H) and U_(z) (again in a specific time-offsetwindow).

More generally, when considering the general case, F(t,x) can be calleda Wiener filter or a transfer function between U_(H) and U_(z), andF(t,x) becomes frequency dependent. In such case, the F(t,x) estimationis based on the use of cross-correlation and auto-correlation of Z(x,t)and H(x,t). Numerous other algorithms can be used to estimate F, such assolving for F in a L1 norm or L2 norm and least squares. Other suitablemethods to design and apply the filter operator F include polarization,adaptive, statistical, deterministic, multi-channel andmulti-dimensional filtering techniques.

Although reference has been made to cleansing the U_(z) seismic signals(seismic signal components in the z direction), it is noted that thedivergence sensor output U_(H) can also be used to cleanse the seismicsignal components U_(x) or U_(y) horizontal directions.

By employing the noise attenuation technique according to someembodiments, the spacing between sensor assemblies can be increased. Forexample, the spacing between adjacent sensor assemblies can be providedsuch that the sensor assemblies are spaced apart from each other by adistance larger than half a shortest wavelength of noise recorded by thedivergence sensors. As a result, a less dense array of sensor assemblieshas to be deployed, which reduces equipment costs, and reduces laborcosts associated with deployment of the sensor assemblies in the field.

FIG. 2 depicts a divergence sensor 114 with a generally cuboid container200. The shape of the container 200 can be changed to another shape,such as the following shapes: parallelepiped shape, pyramid shape,quadrilateral frustum shape, dipyramid shape, ellipsoid shape andspherical shape. Varying the shape of the container 200 introducesanisotropy, which can yield wavefield decomposition opportunities (suchas to decompose into P and S waves).

Instead of immersing the hydrophone 204 (FIG. 2) in a liquid, thehydrophone 204 can instead be immersed in a more viscous fluid (e.g.,silicone oil), a gel, or even a solid such as sand or plastic, to allowfor S wave detection. This may allow for decomposition of wavefields,such as P versus S waves, or Rayleigh versus Love waves.

FIG. 5 illustrates a general process according to an embodiment forperforming a seismic survey. Sensor assemblies 100 are deployed (at 502)for performing the seismic surveying. One or more seismic sources (e.g.,104 in FIG. 1) are then activated (at 504). In response to activation ofthe seismic source(s), seismic waves are propagated into thesubterranean structure 102 (FIG. 1). Reflected seismic waves aredetected by the sensor assemblies 100.

The seismic data (measured by seismic sensors 112) and divergence data(measured by the divergence sensors 114) are received (at 506) by thecontroller 116. The controller 116 then combines (at 508) the seismicdata and divergence data to cleanse the seismic data, such as accordingto Eq. 7. The cleansed seismic data is then processed (at 510) by thecontroller 116 to characterize the subterranean structure 102. Note thatthe combination of the seismic measurement and divergence measurementmay be carried out by a central control unit after receiving the datafrom the sensor, or locally inside the electronics in the sensor unit inFIG. 2 or at any intermediate location. The combination may be carriedout in real time, after each shot, after completion of the survey orlater in a data processing center.

The noise attenuation technique or system according to some embodimentscan be employed in a survey arrangement that has obstructions, such asbuildings or natural obstructions that prevent placement of sensorassemblies at regular spacings. In other words, the obstructions disturbthe regular pattern of sensor assemblies. By using the noise attenuationtechnique according to some embodiments based on use of divergencesensors, better results can be obtained.

Instructions of software described above (including software 120 ofFIG. 1) are loaded for execution on a processor (such as processor 122in FIG. 1). The processor includes microprocessors, microcontrollers,processor modules or subsystems (including one or more microprocessorsor microcontrollers), or other control or computing devices. A“processor” can refer to a single component or to plural components(e.g., one CPU or multiple CPUs).

Data and instructions (of the software) are stored in respective storagedevices, which are implemented as one or more computer-readable orcomputer-usable storage media. The storage media include different formsof memory including semiconductor memory devices such as dynamic orstatic random access memories (DRAMs or SRAMs), erasable andprogrammable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable andprogrammable read-only memories (EEPROMs) and flash memories; magneticdisks such as fixed, floppy and removable disks; other magnetic mediaincluding tape; and optical media such as compact disks (CDs) or digitalvideo disks (DVDs).

While the invention has been disclosed with respect to a limited numberof embodiments, those skilled in the art, having the benefit of thisdisclosure, will appreciate numerous modifications and variationstherefrom. It is intended that the appended claims cover suchmodifications and variations as fall within the true spirit and scope ofthe invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of noise attenuation for land-basedseismic surveying, comprising: deploying a sensor assembly at a groundsurface, wherein the sensor assembly has a seismic sensor to measureseismic waves reflected from a subterranean structure in response toseismic waves transmitted due to activation of at least one seismicsource, and a divergence sensor, wherein the divergence sensor includesa container containing a material and a pressure sensor immersed in thematerial, and wherein a portion of the sensor assembly including thedivergence sensor is connected with the ground so that the divergencesensor senses pressure fluctuations in the material resulting at leastpartially from ground roll; receiving first data representing thereflected seismic waves from the seismic sensor and second datarepresenting the pressure fluctuations from the divergence sensor, thefirst data representing measurements along one or more axes, and thesecond data comprising measurements insensitive to a direction of wavepropagation; and combining the first data and the second data toattenuate ground-roll noise in the first data.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the seismic sensor and divergence sensor are physically spacedapart by a predetermined distance.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereincombining the first data and the second data comprises subtracting thesecond data from the first data.
 4. The method of claim 3, whereinsubtracting the second data from the first data comprises subtracting aproduct of the second data and a filter operator from the first data. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein the material is selected from the groupconsisting of a liquid, a gel and a solid.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the second data from the divergence sensor provides a betternoise model than a component orthogonal to, or near-orthogonal to, thefirst data from the seismic sensor.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising deploying additional sensor assemblies at the ground surface,where each of the additional sensor assemblies has a seismic sensor tomeasure seismic waves reflected from the subterranean structure, and adivergence sensor to measure noise.
 8. The method of claim 7, whereindeploying the sensor assemblies comprises deploying the sensorassemblies in an environment that includes one or more obstructions thatdisturbs a regular pattern of the sensor assemblies, wherein provisionof the divergence sensors enable noise attenuation even without theregular pattern of the sensor assemblies.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein deploying the sensor assemblies comprises providing sensorassemblies that are spaced apart from each other by a distance largerthan half a shortest wavelength of noise recorded by the divergencesensors.
 10. A system comprising: a controller having a processor toreceive data collected by sensor assemblies deployed at a groundsurface, where each of the sensor assemblies has a seismic sensor tomeasure seismic waves reflected from a subterranean structure, and adivergence sensor, wherein the divergence sensor includes a containercontaining a material and a pressure sensor immersed in the material,and the divergence sensor is insensitive to a direction of wavepropagation, and wherein the sensor assembly including the divergencesensor is connected with the ground so that the divergence sensor sensespressure fluctuations in the material resulting at least partially fromground roll; wherein the processor is configured to combine first datarepresenting the reflected seismic waves from the seismic sensors withsecond data representing the pressure fluctuations from the divergencesensors to attenuate ground-roll noise in the first data from theseismic sensors, the first data representing measurements along one ormore axes, and the second data comprising measurements insensitive to adirection of wave propagation.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein thematerial is selected from the group of a liquid, a gel and a solid. 12.The system of claim 10, wherein, in each of the sensor assemblies, theseismic sensor is provided above and external to the container of thedivergence sensor.
 14. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller isconfigured to communicate over a cable with the sensor assemblies. 15.The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured tocommunicate wirelessly with the sensor assemblies.
 16. The system ofclaim 10, wherein combining the first data and the second data comprisessubtracting the second data from the first data.
 17. The system of claim16, wherein subtracting the second data from the first data comprisessubtracting a product of the second data and a filter operator from thefirst data.
 18. An article comprising at least one non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium containing instructions that uponexecution cause a system having a processor to: receive data collectedby sensor assemblies arranged at a ground surface, where each of thesensor assemblies has a seismic sensor to measure seismic wavesreflected from a subterranean structure, and a divergence sensor,wherein the divergence sensor includes a container containing a materialand a pressure sensor immersed in the material, and the divergencesensor is insensitive to a direction of wave propagation, and wherein aportion of the sensor assembly including the divergence sensor isconnected with the ground so that the divergence sensor senses pressurefluctuations resulting at least partially from ground roll; and combinefirst data representing the reflected seismic waves from the seismicsensors with second data representing the pressure fluctuations from thedivergence sensors to attenuate ground-roll noise in the first data fromthe seismic sensors, the first data representing measurements along oneor more axes, and the second data comprising measurements insensitive toa direction of wave propagation.
 19. The article of claim 18, whereincombining the first data and the second data comprises subtracting thesecond data from the first data.
 20. The method of claim 1, whereindeploying the sensor assembly comprises deploying the sensor assemblyhaving a housing containing the seismic sensor and the divergencesensor.
 21. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the sensorassemblies has a housing containing the corresponding seismic sensor andthe corresponding divergence sensor.
 22. The article of claim 19,wherein at least one of the sensor assemblies has a housing containingthe corresponding seismic sensor and the corresponding divergencesensor.